Electricity tariff hiked in Karnataka

Bengaluru, Apr 4: Electricity consumers across Karnataka will start paying an additional 35 paise per unit from April 1, effectively paying an additional Rs 20 to Rs 35 or more based on the consumption.

The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Monday approved the new tariff for financial year 2022-23, allowing an increase of 5 paise per unit along with a hike of Rs 10 to Rs 30 in the fixed energy costs, a base price a consumer has to pay regardless of the usage.

“The overall average increase accounts for 35 paise paise per unit, which is essentially an increase of 4.33%,” KERC Chairman H M Manjunatha told reporters soon after pronouncing the orders on the tariff revision. 

“The hike is needed to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2159.48 crore,” he said and appealed to the reporters to write about the difficulties faced by the government in producing and supplying electricity. 

“The government needs revenue to meet the costs. We should not blame the government in any way. The government can do good work only if we support it,” the chairman said.

The commission has offered rebates to micro and small industries, concessions to seasonal industries like ice manufacturing units and cold storage plants. It has also continued the relaxation in evening peak tariff for use of power between 6 pm and 10 pm during the monsoon months (July to November).